Use Your Outside Voices
SUNDAY, July 12
Zechariah 9:9-12
“Shout as much as you want!” the mother called to her kids on the bright, sunny day as they ran toward the playground. “Now is the time to use your outside voices!”
Watching boisterous kids on the playground reminds me that sometimes it’s good to use my outside voice, especially to praise God! In Zechariah, the Israelites have been in exile in Babylon for almost seventy years because of their rebellion against God. Although the world around them is in chaos and they wait for deliverance from their enemies, the Daughter Zion is told to rejoice greatly and shout. They can rejoice because their king is victorious and provides peace, freedom, and restoration.
My indoor voice often sounds like despair, fear, and confusion when I see chaos in the world and painful situations in the lives of friends. I’m reminded that I can choose to shout and rejoice greatly because God has secured victory through Jesus. The next time you see kids shouting on the playground, raise a shout of praise to God!
Prayer
God, help me to rejoice greatly, no matter what is happening today. Amen.
Who Were You Expecting?
Monday, July 13
Matthew 11:1-6
After each person selected a doughnut, the men sat at the table and opened their journals. Thoughtfully they wrote about the values that were most important to them: loyalty, truthfulness, hard work, family. After pairing up to share their reflections, each man introduced his partner: “This is Jeff, he’s ambitious, brave, trustworthy, and cares about being productive.” A bright smile spread across Jeff’s face. I could tell that hearing these words to define him was uncommon in the court-ordered rehabilitation program he was required to attend.
In today’s passage when John asks about the deeds of the Messiah, he isn’t sure if Jesus is the one who had been prophesied about. The Israelites expected a triumphant, powerful king. They didn’t expect someone who hung out with the outcasts of society and religious circles. Felons, junkies, drunks, gamblers, losers—these were the words many of the men around the table had heard used to describe them.
Jesus has good news for outcasts. Why should we expect anything different today?
Prayer
Jesus, refresh my perspective on your good news. Amen.
Prickly Fruit
Tuesday, July 14
Matthew 11:7-19
When I observe a lychee fruit, I’m amazed that anyone ever chose to eat it. The leathery, red, bumpy skin is inedible, unlike a grape with its smooth, easy-to-bite-into skin. But when the lychee skin is peeled back, a tender, white pearl of fruit appears. The sweet juice tastes like a cross between a pear and a delicate rose. I’m thankful that thousands of years ago, someone from Southeast Asia or China plucked it from a tree and thought, “Hmm, I wonder what that tastes like?”
Jesus was called a drunkard and glutton. Religious people thought John had a demon. On the outside people saw something unsavory and rough in them both. Jesus said, “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (v. 19, NIV). Righteous fruit transforms lives, even if it may not look palatable or appropriate.
Prayer
God, give me ears to hear and eyes to see beyond appearances. Amen.
The Powerful Post-It Note
Wednesday, July 15
Matthew 11:25-30
He anxiously tossed and turned in bed all night, dreading work the next morning. When he dreamed, he had nightmares about conflicts at the office. The next morning he stopped to talk to his coworker and noticed a Post-it note in his cubicle. “I like that quote,” he said. His friend glanced at the Bible verse he had tacked up months ago: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (v. 26, NIV).
The friend had been praying for his office mates for months, asking God to give him an opportunity to share his faith. The Bible verse he had forgotten gave him an open door to talk to his coworker, who was clearly struggling. The word of God is powerful, reaching people when they most need it. The Holy Spirit is working to draw people to Jesus each day. Our role is to ask Jesus to open our eyes to see how God might want to use us to share his good news.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, help me to be obedient to share your words with people far from you. Amen.
Welcome Or Suspicion?
Thursday, July 16
Matthew 10:40-42
I’m embarrassed to admit that I felt nervous when a couple sat at the table next to mine in the small hotel lobby. They were bleary-eyed and covered in tattoos, and I had already made up a story about them in my mind—who they were, where they had come from, the kinds of things they might be involved in. I wolfed down toast and coffee, preparing for a long day of solo driving from Kansas to Michigan. The couple took each other’s hands and bowed their heads to pray for their meal. Their simple act of devotion revealed the instincts in my heart: judgment and suspicion. The funny thing is, I was also bleary-eyed and have a tattoo. Driving home for a family emergency, I was feeling sad, alone, and afraid. I had viewed the couple through the lens of those feelings rather than how Jesus saw them—as his children. As I turned onto the highway, I prayed for them, thanking God for their example of prayer and remembering that Jesus welcomes everyone to follow him.
Prayer
God, help me to see others as you see them to welcome them into your presence. Amen.
Playing The Understudy
Friday, July 17
Psalm 86:11-13
“I don’t know how I’m going to memorize all these lines by tomorrow!” My son was anxiously pacing across our living room, the wrinkled theatre monologue clenched in his hand. I took a deep breath, feeling frustrated as well. Why had he put off this assignment until the night before!? I remembered being his age, frantically trying to memorize verses before Bible club so I could prove to people what a good Christian I was and win prizes for memorization.
My son had been cast as an understudy in the play, requiring him to learn the lines, observe the main character, and take directions without actually performing them on stage. His work was unseen yet an essential part of the play. Following Jesus is the opposite of cramming to recite the right words in a performance. Jesus’s work of shaping our lives to follow him is often the same. In quiet, unseen places God teaches us his ways.
Prayer
Jesus, teach me your ways and give me an undivided heart. Amen.
Compassion Every Day
Saturday, July 18
Psalm 86:14-17
The opening chords of the guitar led me to bow my head in prayer, singing with our congregation, “I need you, God, I need you. Every hour I need you. My one defense, my righteousness, O God, how I need you.” My heart was breaking for my friend with whom I had sat and cried earlier that week. She wasn’t sure when she would be able to see her mother again because of government changes in immigration. We prayed for her family, for our nation’s leaders, for her fear and confusion. Even though my situation was totally different from hers, Jesus reminded me of the words of today’s psalm. God is compassionate, the one who saves and comforts. Spending time with a sister in Christ who is different from me opened my heart to pray in a new way, to cry out for his righteousness and deliverance. We need God every day to fill us with hope and compassion.
Prayer
God, help me pray with faith and compassion for the desperate situations many brothers and sisters in Christ are facing in the U.S. and around the world. Amen.
